Sex ed is required. Why isn’t financial education?

(CNN)I will never forget the first day of “sex ed” at my public elementary school.

My parents opted me out. They felt it was a subject that should be “taught at home.” I was the only child opted out of the entire 5th grade. The teachers sent me to the playground, a very boring place without friends.

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Only 17 states currently require students to take a personal finance 101-type class, according to the Council for Economic Education. Even then, the programs are generally done in one or two grades only. It’s not drilled into students’ minds year after year, like sex ed.

The reality is rich kids tend to be a lot more financially literate than working class kids. Wealthy kids learn about money at home — or at their private schools. Poor kids do not. It’s yet another reminder why the “friends and family” plan to learn about money is so flawed.

As this new school year starts, here’s a cause worth fighting for: ask why financial ed isn’t part of your local school’s curriculum.

For more information on how to be smart with your finances, check out CNNMoney’s “Money Essentials” guide.